


Rewards

by HockeyAddict77



Series: Stingue [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Best Friends, Cuddles, Dates, Emotional ride, Exceed fun, Fluff, Friendship/Love, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I dunno how to tag this, M/M, Sabertooth - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-19 14:34:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3613566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HockeyAddict77/pseuds/HockeyAddict77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello everyone! So this is just the Rewards section of my story Skinny Dipping. I decided to just break it off into its own little part because it got a lot longer than I expected and it was just better for me to organize it this way.<br/>Please note that I DID change some things in this chapter. I went a little more into depth with Rogue and will probably start adding more little changes, so watch for them! Rereading this chapter will probably help as it clears up a few things better than it did previously. <br/>Hope you enjoy :)</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Rewards

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! So this is just the Rewards section of my story Skinny Dipping. I decided to just break it off into its own little part because it got a lot longer than I expected and it was just better for me to organize it this way.  
> Please note that I DID change some things in this chapter. I went a little more into depth with Rogue and will probably start adding more little changes, so watch for them! Rereading this chapter will probably help as it clears up a few things better than it did previously.   
> Hope you enjoy :)

"Sting get up we have a mission today."  


"Lemme sleep it was a long night last night."  


"That was your fault, it was your idea. Now get up and get ready we are leaving in 10 minutes and I mean it." Rogue ripped the sheets off his partner and pulled the pillow from under the bush of blond hair and Sting groaned in annoyance and curled up into a ball trying to conserve his warmth. Rogue let out a sigh and attempted to leave the room to go get packed for today's mission when a hand suddenly shot up and grabbed his arm, pulling him back towards the lump of a White Dragon Slayer on the bed. Rogue sent Sting a backwards glance, questioning as to why he was being latched onto.  


"We never signed up for a mission today. You're just trying to ruin my beauty sleep because you're jealous of my stunning good looks." Sting rolled over and sent a glare at his best friend, his blue eyes looking quite serious but Rogue could see the flickering of amusement. However Rogue himself didn't find his partner to be very amusing at the moment. He was not in the mood for the White Dragon Slayer's humor today for it was Sting who had ruined his good night's sleep with his mumbling and clinging to Rogue desperately in his sleep that Rogue barely got any sleep at all before the sun started trickling through the window and casting light upon the two friends.  
Looking at the well-practiced unamused face that Rogue gave him Sting sighed and released him, hardly believing this was the same Rogue that was a blushing mess last night. He wouldn't have believed it himself if he wasn't the one to witness the faint pink dust Rogue's cheeks. Rogue walked towards the door of the room before looking back over his shoulder at Sting who was in the process of getting clothed.  


"I took the mission this morning, since it's one of my rewards for skinny dipping with you last night." The words lingered as Rogue disappeared from the room and Sting groaned, leaning his head against the wall. Rogue wasn't usually this clipped and short in the morning which meant something was bothering him, but now with this mystery mission Rogue took he probably wasn't going to be able to talk it over with his partner as Sting guessed this mission wouldn't include long walks through no man's land like their usual missions.  


"Yo Sting what's wrong? You seem down." Sting smiled at his Exceed as Lector strutted in. The little cat only need to take one look at Sting to know something was up, the blonde had his fists and head against the wall with a frustrated look on his face.  


"Rogue's upset about something, I don't know what it is and now we have to take a mission that he picked out." Sting complained, moving away from the wall, giving his Exceed a high five before heading out of the room with Lector at his side.  


"What did you do to upset him this time?" Lector asked as if Sting upsetting Rogue was a regular occurrence.  


"I don't know." Sting grumbled impatiently throwing his hands up in exasperation. As soon as he said it though, Sting's mind started replaying last night and he now thought, could one of his advances disturbed Rogue? Lector noticed Sting fall silent and how his face dropped in thought.  


A floor down, Rogue was grumpy as he chomped at his breakfast where he was normally a very deliberate and delicate eater, today he was ravenous. His little Exceed friend, Frosch, sat next to him studying Rogue's unusual behavior with big eyes. 

"Rogue?" The little cat in the frog suit squeaked. 

"Hmm?" Rogue hummed with a mouth full of food, his eyes didn't stay from where they glared in irritation at the counter. 

"Are you ok?" The little Exceed asked timidly, not used to this behavior from Rogue and it worried and frightened the little creature slightly. 

"Tired and have a lot on my mind." Rogue responded gruffly, sounding like he really didn't want to talk about it but the little Exceed knew better than that. Frosch knew that something was on Rogue's mind and that he wanted to talk about it but didn't know how or he didn't know how to express how he was feeling. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" It was the same timid tone and normally that tone that hinted at fear would bother Rogue because Frosch should never be afraid of him, but in his current state of irritation and sleep deprivation he didn't care and pretended not to notice. 

"No I'm sorry Frosch." Rogue gentled his tone slightly as his gaze finally turned to his furry friend. Rogue put a soft smile on his face and patted his friend reassuringly on the head, the thoughts plaguing his mind quieted for a little as his mood lifted slightly by just being with the little Exceed. They stayed in silence for a few minutes just enjoying each other's company until Frosch spoke again, this time without the timid tone. 

"Did Sting do something?" Rogue flinched but shook his head no even though Frosch knew that he was lying. 

"No, I'm just over thinking things. Speaking of Sting we need to get moving." Rogue stood up and strode away to go get his partner and Frosch watched him leave with big sad eyes, feeling bad for his partner but not knowing how to help him. 

"Oh good you're up and ready, here's the mission." Rogue's voice ripped Sting out of his thoughts and he blinked and saw his partner handing him the mission, looking as he did every day: calm, slightly indifferent and with a frog suit wearing Exceed at his side. Sting took the mission and looked it over before looking up at Rogue with unamused eyes.  


"These are all normal jobs! We don't even need magic for these, what the heck?" He burst out and Rogue shrugged casually.  


"The people of this town need to know they can come to us for their problems, not just magical disturbances. Plus this way we get to stay in town and since these jobs probably won't take long we can have time to relax at the end of the day." Rogue explained and while it made sense to Sting, he wasn't happy about it. He wanted to blow something up and fight something because that way Rogue would be forced to work and put up with him long enough for him to figure out what was wrong with his best friend.

"Let's go, I know there's a bad infestation of mice in a few of the bars down the street. We'll start there." Rogue commanded and turned and started walking towards the main doors, not leaving any room for argument from his partner and Sting growled in frustration at Rogue's coolness and the mission he picked.  


The Twin Dragon Slayers walked down the street in silence, both ignoring the odd looks they got from the citizens. Sting kept glancing at his partner who remained silent, not that it was usual for Rogue to be quiet but this silence was almost awkward between them, though Rogue showed no indication of feeling it.  


Unbeknownst to Sting, Rogue was feeling the awkward tension as well but was too deep, almost drowning in his own thoughts that swarmed around the events of last night and the closeness that Sting and himself had shared. It took Rogue off guard and left him a complete confusing mess. He was used to thinking of Sting as his best friend. A painfully attractive best friend with his sharp blue eyes, muscular build and feral smile that could turn into that cheery smile that made even Rogue want to smile and laugh. However, last night had changed things and things like romance and dating invaded Rogue's mind. He didn't know what to do with these new thoughts and emotions as they were eating them alive. Once they arrived at the bar and explained to the startled bar owner that the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth were here to solve his mouse problem he quickly agreed to their terms, left them the keys and fled with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm as if he feared within any second he and his place were going to be blown up because of course the two Dragon Slayers were known to be quite destructive.  


"Alright let's get this over with." Sting sighed and started moving chairs so they were on the tables while Rogue looked at him in confusion.  


"Sting what are you doing?" He asked and Sting shot him an impatient look. Rogue wasn't the only grumpy Dragon Slayer now as his unusual mood rubbed off on Sting who was starting to get sick with worry over his best friend while being frustrated at the ruby eyed mage wouldn't tell him what was wrong even though they were best friends. What was even more frustrating is that he knew Rogue liked his space and often kept things to himself. Sting hated when he did that, he wanted to know everything about his friend and wanted his thoughts out in the open so Sting could obliterate any darkness left in the Shadow Dragon Slayer.  


"Getting all this out of the way so we can look for the mice." He answered shortly and Lector blinked at the harshness of Sting's tone as he was normally very cheerful and easy going, but today Rogue's coldness had hardened his mood and temperament. Rogue blinked in surprise as well but brushed it off quickly.  


"I was thinking that I could use my shadows to draw them out and then you just blast them." Rogue explained and suddenly Sting felt like a complete idiot.

"Ya that works too, good thinking." Sting grumbled and Rogue just nodded before activating his powers. Not even a few minutes later the frantic squeaks of mice are heard and seconds later they pour out of their hiding places chased by cat looking shadows. Sting glances at Rogue who looks faintly amused at his own doing and Sting smiles, glad to see some of the coldness melt away from his best friend.  


"Oh man look at all of them! I kinda want to play with one, can I Sting?" Lector's eyes are wide and he swishes his tail in excitement and Sting laughs and gives him permission for a little while and Lector's cat insticts kick in as he plays with the mice, batting them around and nudging them here and there. Even Frosh got a little excited as his wide eyes watched his fellow Exceed play with the mice.  


"You can play with them too if you want Frosch." Rogue told him with a gentle affection in voice and Frosch let out a little yelp of joy and quickly joined Lector. For the next couple of minutes the two Dragon Slayers watched in amusement as their Exceeds play, both of their minds put at the rest for just a little while and Rogue smiled when Frosch was able to pick up a mouse in its clothed paw and stare at it with big eyes.  


"Alright I think they've had enough." Sting laughed, his cheerful mood returning as all frostiness between him and Rogue seemed to evaporate while watching their Exceeds play. Lector let out a disappointed 'awe' before he and Frosch stepped away from the mice, leaving Rogue's shadows to corral them into a cluster of panicked fur and squeaks.

Sting felt a little bad for them as he gathered his magic and blasted them with it, but the little nod of approval from Rogue was more than enough of a reward.  
"Good now that that's done, we can inform the owner that he is now mouse free and move on to the next bar before the other locations." Sting smiled slightly at how in control Rogue was. Rogue noticed the small smile on Sting's face and sent him a questioning look which Sting just shrugged off with a wide grin and in spite of himself Rogue allowed a small smile to grace his lips as well.


	2. Rewards Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unedited, sorry for any mistakes

The next bar they visited followed the same process: Rogue lured them out with his shadows, Exceeds played with them a bit to wear them out but this time around the Twin Dragon Slayers lured all of the mice into a large carrier as they had both agreed that killing them was rather inhumane and waved at the truck driver as he sped away to relocate all the mice.

“That’s two done, how many more do we have?” Sting questioned once the truck was out of sight.

“Do any of them involve more mice? That was super awesome!” Lector cheered and Frosch nodded in agreement. Rogue smiled gently at the two Exceeds.

“Unfortunately no, our next mission is to fix the broken lights in the cathedral.” Rogue announced as they set off towards the beautiful piece of architecture near the center of town. Once there and learning the details, the team set off to work. Frosch and Lector flew to the ceilings and carefully removed the not working light bulbs and dropped them below to Sting and Rogue who determined if they could fix it or just needed to ditch it. About half an hour later the cathedral was glowing with new light as the Sabertooth team looked on proudly.

“It was pretty cool of you to add a touch of your magic to the lights Sting.” Lector complimented while high fiving his friend. Sting smiled broadly, showing off his canines.

“Well I do use a form of Light magic so why not? Plus this place looks like it needed a little Sting touch to it.” He chuckled while Rogue fought the urge to roll his eyes while Frosch continued to stare dreamily at the soft glowing lights, enhanced by Sting’s magic.

“How many more jobs do we have? I’m starving!” Sting complained, folding his arms back and threading his fingers together behind his head as the team walked down the street towards their next assignment.

“Quite a few more and it’s not even midday. We would’ve gotten more done but you slept in.” Rogue pointed out and Sting pouted at him with mild annoyance.

“Hey it was a big night!” Sting shot back, but then instantly regretted it as he saw the curious look Lector pointed at him.

“What happened last night that was so big Sting?”He asked and Sting stumbled around for an answer.

“He sneezed all over his paperwork and it went flying and he had to reorganize it all which took him a long time.” Rogue came to the rescue with a bored tone as if it happened every night. Sting sighed in relief and made a mental note that he owed Rogue a 5 star dinner or something for saving his butt right there.

“Oh well we all make mistakes but don’t worry you’re still the best Sting! So what is the next thing we have to do Rogue?” Lector comforted his friend who just chuckled at the Exceed. Rogue glanced at the piece of paper, holding all of the information for the missions of the day.

“Next is helping out at the understaffed hotel.” Rogue informed and Sting groaned which gained him a sharp look from Rogue who seemed to be in charge today. The change slightly annoyed Sting who was used to running the show and being in the spotlight, but he couldn’t help but like this more dominant side of Rogue and he had to wonder if some of it had to do with the fact that it was just them doing small jobs in their hometown where Rogue didn’t have to worry too much about always keeping up a good front to preserve their reputation.

The hotel job went better than either Dragon Slayer could’ve imagined with their combined teamwork with the aid of their flying cats, rooms were made in record time while Lector and Frosch had a blast using feather dusters to clean every speck of every room and by every speck that included Sting and Rogue was well as the two found their faces dusted more than once by their flying partners. While Sting shrugged it off with a laugh, Rogue turned a little grumpy which in turn made Frosch sad and the two worked in silence for awhile until forced to make up by Sting who quickly became annoyed with the silence.  
The hotel owner who was overjoyed at their work paid more than advertised and offered the team a free stay next time they visited. They finished a few more jobs in record time before Rogue announced that they would do one more job before it was lunch time after being mercilessly bothered by a starving Sting.

“This should work well, our next job is just helping to clean a little cafe!” Sting cheered as he read the paper, throwing a fist in the air as a sign of victory at the promise of food in the near future. He was too preoccupied with his own excitement to notice the small smile that adorned Rogue’s face as he glanced at the beaming White Dragon Slayer.

The cafe was indeed a cute little place with a very warm and home like atmosphere, but unfortunately for the Sabertooth team, it was also a complete mess as broken and battered chairs were thrown about and tables flipped over like the place had just been the site of a drunken brawl. Tablecloths were strewn everywhere along with the silverware and a few dishes. The team stood in the doorway looked surprised and a little overwhelmed at the disaster before them when the shopkeeper, a short, petite little woman rushed over to them. Her hair was light brown but graying as she tried to tuck it away in a messy bun. She wore simple clothes and an old-fashioned apron. Her eyes widened as she took in the Dragon Slayer team.

“Oh I’m dreadfully sorry about this mess dears! Are you here to answer my job request?” Her voice was a little higher than expected but it carried a sweet, motherly tone.

“We are, where would you like us to start first?” Sting took control before Rogue could open his mouth, snickering to himself just slightly that he was back in control, at least for now.

“Oh my, there’s so much I’m not really sure. I guess just organizing these tables and chairs back to the way they were. Here’s the basic layout of the place.” The woman pulled a crumbled sheet of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Sting who studied it with Rogue at his side and two Exceeds peering over their shoulders, wings out and at the ready.

“Sounds great, we’ll get started right away.” Rogue told the woman in a calm and professional tone. The woman smiled warmly at him.

“Thank you so much! I’ll be in the back room cleaning up as well, just come back there or holler if you need anything or have any questions.” She explained before dashing back into the back room.

“Well this should be…interesting.” Sting stated, all his previous enthusiasm dead and long gone.

“Stop complaining and start cleaning.” Rogue replied in that same clipped tone as earlier that morning as he began righting tables and placing chairs around them while Frosch flew around, putting chairs back up right and gathering the scattered tablecloths in his little paws. Rogue hadn't meant to retreat back into the grump he was earlier in the morning but the disaster in front of him couldn't help but remind him of the chaos that was happening inside of his own head and it irritated him that even after successfully completing over half of their missions he couldn't get the pestering thoughts of Sting and last night out of his head. 

Sting rolled his eyes at his partner but then smirked to Lector who grinned back up at his friend.

“Wanna race em buddy?” Sting questioned and the gleam in Lector’s eyes was answer enough as the two quickly began intensely cleaning as well. Out of the corner of his eye, Rogue noticed Sting and Lector pick up the pace and a small voice inside him screamed at him to beat them. Rogue was startled for a second, for it had been a long time since he felt competitive towards anyone or anything, but now watching Sting and Lector clean as if their lives depended on it, that competitive side of him that was usually tucked away so deeply snarled to be released and he let it. He picked up the pace as well and started doing unnecessary little things like folding the silverware he had put on the tables into napkins and used his shadows to right any crooked photos that hung on the wall. However these actions didn’t go unnoticed by Sting’s sharp eye and soon the tables he was cleaning shone with a little bit of Sting shine and the tablecloths were laid out perfectly like they were about to be in a set of a commercial. It wasn’t long until the place looked brand new, sparkling and shining like in all those cliche moments in shows. Sting grinned broadly and high-fived his furry friend who had been polishing and arranging the silverware.

“Great job guys, place looks great!” The White Dragon Slayer exclaimed just as the owner popped her head out of the back room and the poor woman’s soul almost left her body as she scanned the place.

“My goodness you have done a wonderful job! After all that work you boys must be starving! Take a seat and I’ll whip you up a house special, my treat for doing such a wonderful job. You’ll still get paid of course but I can’t thank you enough.” The woman babbled in gratitude and left no room for argument as she swiftly left the room and headed into the kitchen. Sting and Rogue exchanged slightly startled looks before seating themselves and their Exceeds at a table.

“So what’s with the mood Rogue? You seemed off this morning then were fine and now you’re all upset and moody again. What’s with that?” Sting questioned after a few minutes of silence between them as Lector and Frosch but mainly Lector chatted about how fun today had been and how they should play with mice more often. Rogue's mood plummeted again as all of the thoughts he was trying desperately to avoid arose again, and this time it Sting was to blame. Sting's blue eyes stared intently at his partner who glared at him with burning red eyes.

“We’ll talk about it later.” Rogue growled and Sting narrowed his eyes. It was like he was in sync with Rogue because the moment he noticed the mood change in his partner, his own mood took a hit. It was like they were emotionally connected like twins. Sting found the thought vaguely amusing as they were the Twin Dragon Slayers of Sabertooth and normally he would've laughed at how funny he found himself, but not today when Rogue was in such a mood. 

“It’s later, now tell me.” He growled back and Rogue wanted to roll his eyes at such a childish tactic but reminded himself it was Sting he was dealing with. Childish Sting who could read him like a book and analyze every part of him until he found out what he wanted to know.

“I’m just tired and didn’t sleep well last night that’s all.” Rogue grumbled but his answer didn’t satisfy Sting who narrowed his eyes even more as he gazed at the Shadow Dragon Slayer.

“Why not?” Sting questioned and Rogue felt thoroughly exhausted with this conversation already. He sent Sting an unamused glare which was for the most part ignored. Sighing Rogue gave in,

“Because you mumble a ton in your sleep and were latched onto me like a suckling child.” He growled lowly rubbing his temples as he felt the beginning of a headache come on.

“What else?” Sting pressed more, feeling like he was the closest to getting an honest answer than he had been all day and Rogue looked at him in confusion this time.

“What do you mean what else?” He questioned slowly as if it were a trick question. His red eyes sharpened as he stared at his partner, knowing that Sting was now fishing for an answer. The White Dragon Slayer rarely needed details, just the general idea before he went off and did whatever he wanted to do which usually ended up destroying things. It was when he took the time to ask and think about specific details that showed he was being dead serious about something, which in itself was rare with Sting. 

“There’s something else you’re hiding I can see it in your eyes Rogue, how many times do I have to tell you that you can’t hide from me.” Sting answered seriously, his blue eyes pierced Rogue as if their intensity could see straight into Rogue's soul and mind and search out what was wrong and destroy it from inside of him.

Rogue himself was a bit startled. He blinked and tried poorly to fight a blush as his mind immediately went to Sting’s lips on his the previous night in the pool and how he had laid in bed rewinding the moment and wondering what it all meant and spent hours trying to decipher how he felt about it and what he should do next. The confusion arose once again, the same confusion that had been clouding his thoughts all day along with those dream-like thoughts, so far away from reality they weren't worth thinking about but appeared anyway. Sting seemed to sense the change in Rogue and questioned again about what else prevented his partner from obtaining sleep.

Rogue was just about to open his mouth when a delightful aroma wafted towards them. The shopkeeper stepped out of the kitchen with a large tray holding their meal which steamed deliciously. She placed the plates in front of them with a smile and told them to enjoy before disappearing again. Lector and Frosch’s plates consisted of lovely grilled fish and fresh fruits while the meal for the two Dragon Slayers consisted of a cup of steaming soup and lightly seasoned steak cooked tenderly to perfection with a few side vegetables. It was surprisingly high class meal for the little restaurant but by no means disapproved of as the team dug in hungrily as the days’ hunger finally set in.


	3. Rewards Part 3

“So are you going to tell me what’s up with you?” Sting questioned the Shadow Dragon Slayer as they walked to their mission after the meal and a promise to the owner to come back again soon.

“Later Sting.” Rogue told him shortly as he once again put on his business face and strutted down the street with purpose, red eyes gleaming. Sting sighed but continued at his side, his stride drooping a bit. Behind them Lector and Frosch exchanged a confused glance as they sensed tension between the two best friends.

Rogue continued on the road with his confident stride but inside he was horribly conflicted. He hated treating Sting like this but he really didn’t want to talk about it with the White Dragon Slayer, especially since he had no answers for himself. He truly had no idea what to think about what happened that night. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it and that was all fine and dandy but he knew that Sting was referring to their closer encounter and it was that that was making Rogue so confused. Sting was his best friend well perhaps besides Frosch but the Shadow Dragon Slayer didn't even try to deny that he liked the feeling of the White Dragon Slayer's lips on his even if it was for even the briefest moment. A small smile creeped onto his serious face as well as he thought back to how it felt having the White Dragon Slayer at his side in bed last night. Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts Rogue focused back on the mission as they approached the destination of their next mission but thoughts continued to plague his mind.

His vagueness didn't go unnoticed, nothing about Rogue ever went unnoticed under Sting's sharp blue gaze and he noticed how his partner seemed so far away today. After a few more short missions the day was over with a considerable amount of the day left to enjoy just how Rogue had planned it but as the team returned to Sabertooth the Shadow Dragon Slayer felt a firm grip on his upper arm preventing him from heading to his room. He ripped his arm out of Sting's grip, glaring angrily like Sting had forgotten how much Rogue hated being touched but that wasn't the case as Sting never forgot important things especially when it came to Rogue.

"You, me, walk and talk now." Sting demanded his voice low and growling, almost angry. Sting's anger sprouted from the fact that Rogue wasn't the only confused one as Sting couldn't figure out what was wrong with Rogue and it bothered him knowing that something was affecting Rogue this deeply but he couldn't help. Rogue was his partner and best friend but above all Sting cared for the ruby eyed Dragon Slayer more than anyone else. He had cherished last night and the closeness the two had shared and if that was what was bothering Rogue he would never allow anything like that to happen again because he wasn't willing to loose his best friend over something as silly as a night of close fun.

Rogue didn't complain as he followed Sting to the countryside but it was obvious he wasn't happy about it. His bright red eyes glared intensely at the ground like he suddenly wanted to become Natsu and burn everything down. At least that's how Sting saw him as he watched his partner from the corner of his eye. To anyone else Rogue just seemed to be tired and staring sleepily at the ground but Sting's sharp eyes were able to see the discontentment flickering in his eyes. No matter how well Rogue tried to hide his feelings Sting would always dig deeper and pull out whatever his partner was trying to hide. It was something Sting prided himself on and annoyed Rogue to end.

"So how are you feeling now that you've got to do your easy missions?" Sting asked casually once again folding his hands behind his head and throwing his arms out, something he must have picked up from the Fire Dragon Slayer Natsu.

"Fine." Rogue answered in a monotone like he was trying to retreat back into himself. Sting had to hold back from scowling and turned his head to really look at Rogue for a second before turning back and continuing to take the lead through the countryside.

"We can do more of these if you want, just gotta ask ya know?" The White Dragon Slayer went on like Rogue's frosty response hadn't affected him at all. In reality he was heavily analyzing Rogue's every move. With his sensitive hearing he noticed how Rogue's breathing changed as he thought and prepared himself to talk, how his breaths were shorter, not quite panicked but by no means the slow and easy breaths the Shadow Dragon Slayer let out when he was normally around his friend. It was because usually he was calm around Sting but now he was all wound up and on edge.

"No thanks." Rogue declined curtly and Sting narrowed his eyes and stopped walking, dropped his arms and turned so he was standing directly in front of his best friend.

"Alright spill it, what's wrong with you? Don't give me your nothing or it's no big deal crap either." He snarled finally fed up with the coldness his best friend was treating him with. He engaged Rogue in an intense staring contest and what he saw took this breath away.


	4. Rewards Part 4

Rogue's ruby eyes were swimming with so many emotions Sting thought he was drowning for a moment. Anger, confusion, happiness, warmth and pain were just a few of the emotions that were laced in the shinning eyes of the Shadow Dragon Slayer. However seeing this only made Sting more irritated as it meant Rogue had been hiding his pain more than he originally thought and he never wanted Rogue in pain. The day had drawn long for Sting as his constant worrying over Rogue wore endlessly at his patience and even Rogue himself with his newly adapted cool attitude got under his skin and the White Dragon Slayer could feel his temper rising.

"It doesn't concern you." Rogue spoke in such a detached voice it almost made Sting roar in anger at himself, at Rogue and whatever pain was causing Rogue to become so distant from him. The one person he never wanted to lose slowly slipping through his fingers.

Now it was Rogue's time to seem shocked as he saw the wetness gathering in Sting's eyes as the blonde's blue eyes blazed with so much pain and anger Rogue felt a sharp stab of concern for his best friend.

"Sting? You alright? " He asked in a soft voice and that was the last straw for Sting who snapped snarling like what he was: an angry dragon. All of his pent up emotions just simply exploded after being contained for too long.

"Don't you dare ask me that." Sting bellowed furiously. "Just tell me what's bothering you God damn it because whatever it is its changing you and I don't want that so just spit it out already."  
Rogue was more than a little taken back. He had never seen Sting in such a state and he wasn't quite sure what to do. Except he knew just by instinct that he needed to calm Sting down and fast.

"Calm down and then we can talk like civil human beings." Rogue stated calmly in his usual voice, not the cold and crisp voice he seemed to have used on Sting all day and calmed the White Dragon Slayer slightly so his eyes weren't blazing and his breathing was no longer extremely irregular.

"So you can go first, what was that outburst about? That's not like you Sting." Rogue stated calmly again, sincerely curious about what caused such a reaction from his usually so cheerful, easy-going and lovable best friend. This time instead of blowing up Sting just sent Rogue a glare that asked him if the dark haired mage was a complete idiot.

"I've been wanting to know all damn day what the hell was wrong with you and why you were acting so cold, it was eating me alive because while you were being such a cold-hearted crapper you weren't the Rogue I know and lo-care about." The White Dragon Slayer caught himself before slipping up, but now he was under the intense ruby gaze of the Shadow Dragon Slayer who noticed that Sting was trying to cover something up and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm just distracted and tired, seriously I am because when you have a bushy haired blonde clinging to you all night moaning and groaning you don't get a very restful sleep." Rogue admitted with a pointed stare at Sting who had the decency to look at least a little bashful, fully recovered from his outburst, acting like he wasn't a ball of rage just minutes ago. Rogue took the mood swing with grace as he was used to Sting's mood swings as the blonde was always a very impulsive and emotional character much like the Fire Dragon Slayer he modeled himself after for so long.

"But? There's something more, c'mon tell me Rogue." Sting pleaded and Rogue let out a sigh of defeat because to be completely honest, the day had been completely draining on him as well as he wrestled with his feelings and emotions.

"Just what happened last night makes me really confused." Rogue mumbled quietly and Sting, even with his super hearing had to strain to hear what the dark haired and ruby eyed mage had to say.

"What are you confused about?" Sting asked slowly almost hesitantly which made Rogue look up at him with a questioning glance as he knew only too well that Sting was rarely hesitant about anything.

"You, us, everything? I no longer know where I stand." Rogue threw his hands up as a sign of not even knowing, the exhaustion of the day getting to him as well, but as always Rogue handled things in a much simpler and calm manner. Sting let out a long, tired sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair and began to gnaw on his bottom lip, looking deep in thought. Rogue watched as Sting did so and was startled at how appealing the White Dragon Slayer looked all of a sudden. It was like he had suddenly become wild and feral with his messed up hair, gleaming blue eyes and now his canines poked out as Sting continued to bite at his lip and Rogue almost had to hold back from doing the same as he stared at his best friend once again becoming nearly overwhelmed with feelings he was unfamiliar with.

"What about me confuses you?" Suddenly Rogue found a very blue pair of eyes gazing at him very intently. He blinked and managed to recover clarity over his thoughts and took a step back only for Sting to take a step before, his head bowed so he was at eye level with Rogue, looking directly into his eyes and it made the Shadow Dragon Slayer more than a little uncomfortable. Additionally it was very hard for him to think with a face like Sting's so close to his especially after what occurred last night, the thought of it bringing a blush to his cheeks and Sting tilted his head to the side like a curious dog and lifted an eyebrow in interest to this reaction.

"I can't read you." Rogue whispers quietly and Sting blinks in confusion for a moment and regains his full height as he straightens himself.

"Whatda ya mean by that?" He asks, truly perplexed and Rogue sighed.

"I can't read you like you can read me, I don't know where I stand with you after last night's...activities. It's confusing to me." Rogue mumbled, once again so softly Sting had to strain to hear him.

"Well then why the crap were you so frosty all day if that's all you were confused about?" Sting growled, feeling more than a little irritated if that was really all that Rogue was worried about. The Shadow Dragon Slayer glared at his partner with gleaming eyes that seemed to bore right into Sting and almost made him take a step back due to their intensity.

"You prevented me from having a restful sleep, kissed me, then the next morning you didn't even bother explaining yourself, acted like everything was perfectly normal without giving me any inclination about what to think or how you felt about this whole thing!" Rogue growled, his deep voice an octave deeper as the words rumbled like dark thunder in his throat. Sting looked surprised at Rogue's sudden aggression then narrowed his eyes slightly at his best friend who's red eyes were now flashing vibrantly.

"Don't act like it's all my fault. You gave me no signs last night what so ever so I just assumed you didn't like any of it and tried to be normal." Sting responded, his voice even but not without thick emotion as the confusion that clouded Rogue's thoughts all day seemed to shift over to his.

"You didn't give me very much time." Rogue recalled bluntly, his face falling into a blank slate as he remember that Sting had kissed him so very briefly and then not even a minute later was splashing him with water.

"You could've given at least a little sign." Sting grumbled and Rogue gave him an unamused stare.

"Time Sting." Rogue told him again but his partner paid him no heed,

"What did you want me to do? Hold up a sign with little reactions for you to read and play out?" Sting went on as if Rogue never spoke and normally this wouldn't bother Rogue since he was so used to being the one tucked away in shadows and silence, but this had to do with something very important and Sting wasn't listening so he felt his usual expendable patience start to run dry.

"Sting." He called his name but Sting was on a roll with his rant, going on about different things that Rogue could've done to give him a sign of what he was feeling or thinking, and Rogue's patience was draining with every word he said until Rogue just stood there silently with his eyes closed and a very irritated look on his face completely ignoring his partner and focusing all his energy on trying to regain his patience when he felt something on his face. It was just a poof of warm air and Rogue opened his eyes to see Sting standing directly in front of him, his blue eyes soft but the expression on Sting's face was completely unreadable and suddenly Rogue was taken back to last night. They were almost in the exact same position and Sting had the same look on his face right before-Rogue once again felt just the ghost of Sting's lips on his before they were gone and he blinked owlishly up at his partner.

"Well what do you think about that? Still confused? If you are I can do it aga-" Sting's words were cut off with a yelp as Rogue sunk his teeth into Sting's bottom lip before releasing the flesh and Sting glared at him.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded, blue eyes blown wide at shock at the Shadow Dragon Slayer's bold move and Rogue looked at him as if it were obvious.

"Now you know how I felt." He responded and all the color drained from Sting's face.

"Am I really that bad of a kisser?!" Rogue really wanted something to bang his head against as soon the words left the screeching White Dragon Slayer's tongue. He did however manage to chuckle to himself as he found Sting's reaction quite amusing even if it didn't get the proper point across. At that moment, things felt normal again: Sting was back to his idiotic and cheerful self, freaking out over little things while it was Rogue's responsibility of calming him down. 

"You aren't a bad kisser Sting, you barely gave me time to experience it, but that immediate confusion is all that I've felt." Rogue spoke, deliberately leaving out the other fluffier parts of his thoughts because he really didn't want to discuss those with Sting who would probably laugh at him and never let him live it down. Sting blinked and calmed down as the words sunk into his head before that mischievous look slid onto his face.

"I can give you more time to experience it if you want." Rogue stiffened, not knowing if Sting was serious or messing around. When silence met his question Sting's face dropped and sadness flooded his eyes and he seemed to get a little smaller as his shoulders fell.

"Well I guess that answers that." He sighed in a completely defeated tone, something extremely rare for the usually carefree and happy Dragon Slayer.

"You still didn't give enough time Sting." Rogue spoke and Sting turned his gaze onto his partner to see a blush dusting his cheeks and a small smile upon his face. "Give me some time to actually process what happened and then let me respond."Sting blinked slowly, not exactly sure of what was going on and watched Rogue carefully, his blue eyes showing a rare trace of vulnerability that he normally buried deep within himself.

"You've had the whole day to think." Sting mumbled and Rogue let out a long, tired sigh, but he supposed in a way that Sting was right. 

"True enough." He mumbled and Sting smirked in victory, but the smirk fell as Rogue still appeared to be deeply troubled with his own thoughts. Sting closed the distance between them and put a gentle hand on Rogue's chin and lifted his face so he was looking directly into the red eyes of the Shadow Dragon Slayer. 

"Talk to me Rogue, don't keep me out. If you don't like my advances just tell me right now and I'll stop. If you don't mind them you have to tell me that too because I don't know what you think or how it makes you feel and I need to know. I need to know how you think about this, about us. You're smart Rogue, one of the smartest people I know, you should know that I like you already and what drove me insane today was that I have no idea if you even like me back or are just hoping silently that I'll go away." Sting's uncharacteristically gentle and heartfelt speech left Rogue breathless and Sting could see the surprise in his red eyes. 

"Don't leave." Rogue muttered quietly, but Sting could hear the desperation and urgency in the tone and how Rogue almost seemed choked with his own emotions. 

"I won't if you don't want me to, but I need to know how you feel." Sting responded, his grip on Rogue tightening as he tried to pull away so Sting wouldn't see his face, but Sting had to see, had to read everything on Rogue's face, see all the emotions that swam in his eyes. It was one of the things that he loved most about Rogue: how subtly expressive he really was. He looked blank on the outside because he never really let the emotions play over his face like he or Natsu did, but they showed in the way he wrinkled his brow, the tightening around his eyes and in the eyes themselves.

"I like you too, but I don't know how much I"m ready for." Sting could see that Rogue still had some thoughts that he needed to work through but he no longer cared. Rogue liked him back! The White Dragon Slayer was ecstatic and it took all of his self control not to wrap the Shadow Dragon Slayer up in a hug he would never forget, except he remembered how much Rogue hated physical contact and was surprised he let him keep his hand gripping his chin for so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's a chance that I may take this chapter down and just completely redo it because both Rogue and Sting seem a little OOC for me, but I'm not sure yet because it's set up so the progression of the story is going in the way I want it and I don't really want to scrap it all, but I might. I'm hitting a minor writing block with this story right now so it's not as great as I'd like it to be but let me know what you guys think.
> 
> Unedited as always


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